History of Lord of the Rings Books

Return of the Shadow: History of Lord of the Rings #1
Paperback, 497pp.
Houghton Mifflin
September 2000
Edition 1st Houghton-Mifflin
ISBN: 061808357X
This Book is Also: History of Middle-Earth #6
In this volume, the story reaches Lord of the Rings. In Return of the Shadow (an abandoned title for the first volume) Christopher Tolkien describes, with full citation of the earliest notes, outline plans, and narrative drafts, intricate evolution of Fellowship of the Ring and gradual emergence of conceptions that transformed what J.R.R. Tolkien for long believed would be a far shorter book, 'a sequel to The Hobbit'. The enlargement of Bilbo's Baggins 'magic ring' into a supremely potent and dangerous Ruling Ring of Sauron is traced and the precise moment is seen when, in an astonishing and unforeseen leap in earliest narratives, a Black Rider (Ringwraith or Nazgul) first rode into the Shire, his significance still unknown. Character of a hobbit called Trotter (afterwards Strider or Aragorn) is developed while his identity remains an absolute puzzle, and suspicion only very slowly becomes certainty that he must after all be a Man. The hobbits, Frodo's companions, undergo intricate permutations of name and personality, and other major figures appear in strange modes: a sinister Treebeard, in league with the Enemy, a ferocious and malevolent Farmer Maggot. The story in this book ends at point where J.R.R. Tolkien halted in the story for a long time, as Company of the Ring, still lacking Legolas and Gimli, stood before tomb of Balin in the Mines of Moria. Return of the Shadow is illustrated with reproductions of the first maps and notable pages from the earliest manuscripts.

Return of the Shadow: History of Lord of the Rings #1
Hardcover, 512pp.
Houghton Mifflin
ISBN: 0395498635
October 1988

Return of the Shadow: History of Lord of the Rings #1
Softcover
Harper Collins
October 1994

Treason of Isengard - History of Lord of the Rings #2
Paperback, 504pp.
Houghton Mifflin
September 2000
ISBN: 0618083588
This Book is Also: History of Middle-Earth #7
Treason of Isengard continues account of creation of LOTR started in earlier volume, Return of the Shadow. It traces a great expansion of tale into new lands and new peoples south and east of the Misty Mountains: an emergence of Lothlorien, of Ents, of Riders of Rohan, and of Saruman the White in his fortress of Orthanc in Isengard. In brief outlines and penciled drafts dashed down on scraps of paper are seen a first entry of Galadriel of Lothlorien, earliest ideas of history of Gondor, and first meeting of Aragorn and Eowyn of Rohan, its significance destined to be wholly transformed. Edited with meticulous care and many helpful commentaries by Christopher Tolkien, this book also contains a full account of a map which was to be basis of emerging geography; and an appendix examines Runic alphabets and an analysis of Book of Mazarbul found beside Balin's tomb in the Mines of Moria.

Treason of Isengard - History of Lord of the Rings #2
Hardcover, 504pp.
Houghton Mifflin
November 1989
ISBN: 0395515629

War of the Ring - History of Lord of the Rings #3
Paperback
Houghton Mifflin
September 2000
ISBN: 0618083596
This Book is Also: History of Middle-Earth #8
War of the Ring takes up story with Battle of Helm's Deep and drowning of Isengard by Ents of Fangorn, continues with journey of Frodo, Sam and Gollum to the Pass of Cirith Ungol, describes war in Gondor, and ends with parley between Gandalf and ambassador of Sauron before the Black Gates of Mordor. Unforeseen developments that would become central to this narrative are seen at moment of their emergence: a Palantir bursting into fragments on stairs of Orthanc, its nature as unknown to the author as to those who saw it fall, or entry of Faramir of Gondor into story ('I am sure I did not invent him, I did not even want him, though I like him, but there he came walking through the woods of Ithilen'). Edited with meticulous care and many helpful commentaries by Christopher Tolkien, this book also contains plans and drawings of changing conceptions of Orthanc, Dunharrow, Minas Tirith and tunnels of Shelob's Lair.

War of the Ring - History of Lord of the Rings #3
Hardcover, 476pp.
Houghton Mifflin
October 1990
ISBN: 039556008X

Sauron Defeated: End of the Third Age - History of Lord of the Rings #4
Hardcover, 482pp.
Houghton Mifflin
September 1992
ISBN: 0395606497
This Book is Also: History of Middle-Earth #9
In first part of Sauron Defeated, Christopher Tolkien completes his account of writing of the trilogy, beginning with Sam's rescue of Frodo Baggins from Tower of Cirith Ungol, and giving a very different account of Scouring of the Shire. This part ends with versions of previously unpublished Epilogue, an alternate ending to the masterpiece in which Sam Gamgee attempts to answer his children's questions years after departure of Bilbo and Frodo from the Grey Havens. Second part introduces The Notion Club Papers, now published for first time. Written by J. R. R. Tolkien in interval between Two Towers and Return of the King (1945-1946), these mysterious Papers, discovered in early years of twenty-first century, report discussions of a literary club in Oxford in the years 1986-1987. Those familiar with Inklings will see a parallel with this group whose members included J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. After a discussion of the possibilities of travel in space and time through the medium of 'true dream,' the story turns to the legend of Atlantis, the strange communications received by members of the club out of remote past, and the violent irruption of this legend into northwestern Europe. Closely associated with these Papers is a new version of Numenorean legend, Drowning of Anadune, which constitutes a third part of book. At this time language of the Men of the West, Adunaic, was first devised - Tolkien's fifteenth invented language. This book concludes with an elaborate account of structure of this language by Arundel Lowdham, a member of the Notion Club, who learned it in his dreams. Sauron Defeated is illustrated with changing conceptions of Mordor fortress of Cirith Ungol and Mount Doom, previously unpublished drawings of Orthanc and Dunharrow, and fragments of manuscript written in Numenorean script

Sauron Defeated: End of the Third Age - History of Lord of the Rings #4
Paperback, 159pp.
Houghton Mifflin
September 2000
1ST HOUGHT
ISBN: 0618083561